When depicting a novel, book adaptations on film, especially earlier on in the medium, tend to be quite lengthy. The film version of Pelle the Conqueror does have this quality, and the storylines that aren’t directly connected to Pelle and Lasse do feel randomly stitched in. But, when this epic film focuses on Pelle and Lasse– their struggles immigrating to another country, dealing with harassment from the Danish majority, and the rare moments of joy once they finally figure things out– it shines. The legendary Max von Sydow and Pelle Hvenegaard (who was one of the many boys named after the title character) share a tender father-son dynamic that easily stirs one’s heart, and it’s all beautifully captured within Denmark’s lovely countryside. Pelle the Conqueror may only adapt the first of four volumes of the iconic Danish novel, but it does compassionately capture the struggles of the country’s impoverished immigrants.
"Pelle the Conqueror is a feature film of epic proportions and a relentlessly unsentimental look at life among the haves and, primarily, the have-nots on a big turn-of-the-century farm."
— Variety Staff
In the late 19th century, two Swedish emigrants, Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle, arrive on the Danish island of Bornholm hoping to find work on a farm and save enough money to travel to the United States of America.
After the death of his wife, Lasse Karlsson and his 12-year-old son, Pelle, sails from Sweden to Denmark in search for a better life, though the life that awaits them at port may be more harsh and unforgiving than expected.
Max von Sydow and Pelle Hvenegaard save this film from becoming a total bore. Each moment they’re on screen, you can’t help but root for their survival because of how compelling their performance is.
I wish they continued this film with the rest of the volumes, but the images still hold up to nearly forty years later.
Other
3 nominations
